February is the month, written in the Italian tradition as the month of the Sanremo festival. Il Festival di Sanremo, or, originally, Il Festival della Canzone Italiana is known as the most prestigious Italian music festival. The festival has been held annually during wintertime since the 1950s and takes place nowhere else but in the beautiful Italian coastal city in the province of Liguria – Sanremo.
Not only is Sanremo a popular music show, but it is also a massive media event, broadcast on Italian national television.
WHAT MAKES SANREMO FESTIVAL SPECIAL?
Each year, the Sanremo festival hosts famous Italian singers and intermediary acts.
Several great names were launched into fame by appearing on Sanremo. Andrea Bocelli, Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini, and of course Måneskin in 2021 to name a few.
the competition of sanremo
The Sanremo music festival happens 5 days in a row. There are two categories from which the contestants get chosen to perform: famous Italian music scene names and new entries.
The contest can not go without the rules, which are:
- the song the artist performs must not have been performed in public before the competition
- the melody and lyrics of the song must be original
The first two days are reserved to present all Sanremo singers, half on each day. All artist perform their songs again on the third day, after which the vote starts. Singers on the fourth day sing in duets or sing covers, whereas the big finale takes place on the last and final, fifth day. The winner of Sanremo is then crowned.
where to watch sanremo 2023?
The Sanremo takes place live from Teatro Ariston.
You can watch Sanremo live on the national TV every day of the festival starting around 8 pm and finishing around 1 am Italian time.
There are several options where you can follow Sanremo:
- On Italian national TV – RAI1
- By national TV’s streaming service through – RaiPlay
- Listen to the competition on the radio on Radio Channel RAI2
sanremo and eurovision song contest
What is the connection between Sanremo music festival and Eurovision song contest that takes place every year in May? Take Sanremo as a preselection for Eurovision song contest. The winner of Sanremo gets to represent Italy and perform their song in front of an international audience.
If you’re following the Eurovision song contest, you know Italy hosted the celebration last year due to Måneskin winning Sanremo and Eurovision in 2021.
Italy always qualifies high in ratings, below some of the famous songs from the last years:
- 2013 – Marco Mengoni: “L’essenziale” (7th place)
- 2015 – Il Volo: “Grande amore” (3rd place)
- 2017 – Francesco Gabbani: “Occidentali’s Karma” (6th place)
- 2019 – Mahmood: “Soldi” (2nd place)
- 2021 – Maneskin: “Zitti e buoni” (winner)
- 2022 – Mahmood & Blanco: “Brividi” (6th place)
Are you following Sanremo? Who do you think will win this year?
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Hi, it's Neja
I am an expat from Slovenia,
living in Milan since 2021 and writing a travel blog for all of you who are curious about life in Italy or traveling in Europe.
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